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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24290278">With Friends Like These</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Greyias/pseuds/Greyias'>Greyias</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Ficlet, Friend's OC, Gen, Humor, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Tumblr Prompt, background pairing: Trooper/Theron Shan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 05:35:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>668</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24290278</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Greyias/pseuds/Greyias</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Zandi doesn't know how she keeps winding up in these situations.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Female Republic Trooper &amp; Female Smuggler, Jonas Balkar &amp; Female Smuggler</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>With Friends Like These</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/GarbonzoBean66/gifts">GarbonzoBean66</a>.</li>


        <li>
            Inspired by

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/12754224">Wraiths Of The Past</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/GarbonzoBean66/pseuds/GarbonzoBean66">GarbonzoBean66</a>.
        </li>

    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Written for the prompt over on Tumblr: Person A tries to scare Person B with a story while in a spooky place</p><p>This is set in my friend Jayde's ficverse featuring her cyborg trooper Zandromeda, from her story "Wraiths of the Past". (Which I recommend reading in general! But also to get a sense of who these characters are.) Zandi is the long-suffering bestie of the worst Mirialan this side of the galaxy, smuggler Azaria Dace. This little ficlet is set during the Tatooine planet storyline.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="note_item">
<p></p></div><div class="answer post_info">
  <p>“Your spy boyfriend sends us to the nicest places, Zandi.”</p>
  <p>“For the <em>last</em> time, Dace, Fauler is not my boyfriend. I met him at the exact same time you did. And just to be clear, every other random SIS Agent you encounter is <em>not</em> someone I’ve dated or have any romantic interest in.”</p>
  <p>“Oh, so does that mean there’s a <em>particular</em> SIS Agent that you do?”</p>
  <p>“No,” she growled back. </p>
  <p>The Mirialan should have taken that as an indication to back off, but then again, no one could ever accuse Azaria Dace of being sensitive to the needs of those around her. It was one of her many charms, in addition to plowing through awkward social situations like a raging mynock in an antiques shop.</p>
  <p>“Well, I’m just saying, your paramour’s taste in decor needs some refinement. I mean, unless you’re into the whole necromancy thing, in which case, I don’t judge. I accept you as you are because you are my friend.”</p>
  <p>“Will you be quiet?” Zandi snapped.</p>
  <p>“I’m filling the eerie silence with witty banter. This is why you bring me along. Other than the fact that just in general I’m amazing. Isn’t that right, Jonas?”</p>
  <p>“Sure.”</p>
  <p>“Balkar, why are you even <em>here</em>?” Zandi hoped that maybe the fifth time she asked she would get some reasonable explanation.</p>
  <p>Jonas just shrugged up near the front of the line. Blaster out, he was inspecting every darkened corner as they worked their way through Czerka’s cursed dig site. “That’s classified.”</p>
  <p>“Very classified,” Azaria added, “on a ‘need to know’ basis.”</p>
  <p>“What I <em>need</em> to know is why you both keep cropping up in the same locations.”</p>
  <p>“Yeah, that’s weird, isn’t it?” Azaria grinned.</p>
  <p>“I <em>never </em>should have introduced you two.”</p>
  <p>“You really should have known better.”</p>
  <p>Zandi groaned. “And by the stars, why are you both dressed like you’re about to head to the beach?”</p>
  <p>“The forecast said sand,” Azaria said simply.</p>
  <p>“It’s Tatooine! The whole planet is sand!”</p>
  <p>“Hey, Lieutenant, maybe you shouldn’t shout so loud,” Jonas advised. “Who knows what’s down here.”</p>
  <p>“She started it,” Zandi seethed.</p>
  <p>Azaria simply shrugged, as if the trooper was just stating a simple fact of life. She adjusted the sunglasses further up on her head as she lazily spun her own blaster as she glanced around the rear.</p>
  <p>“Did I ever tell you about the time I tried to resupply at this old rundown research station in the Unknown Regions?”</p>
  <p>“I’m going to guess it ended up with you drunk, dancing on a bar without your shirt.”</p>
  <p>“I wish! Ended up with me nearly losing an arm and had to scrub my hull for a solid week to get out the bloodstains.”</p>
  <p>“<em>What</em>?”</p>
  <p>“Yeah, it was run by some poor subsidiary that Czerka bought out. Apparently they had a leak in their biohazard wing where they were trying to reverse engineer some nasty virus that kind of made everyone nuts. And a little hungry for human (and Mirialan) flesh. And not in the fun way.”</p>
  <p>“Why are you sharing this?”</p>
  <p>“Thought I’d lighten the mood.”</p>
  <p>“You know what would lighten my mood?”</p>
  <p>“A cantina crawl with Fauler?” Azaria’s smile was impish.</p>
  <p>“Oh, that sounds fun,” Jonas chimed in. “But you know, he can get a little handsy when he’s had a few. The SIS Lifeday Party last year was <em>awkward</em> let me tell you. Probably should bring some mace with you, Lieutenant.”</p>
  <p>“You two are not funny.”</p>
  <p>“We’re hilarious,” Azaria corrected. “You just need to get your humor implants recalibrated.”</p>
  <p>“There is no such thing as a cybernetic implant for humor.”</p>
  <p>“Ah, that explains Agent Shan,” Jonas said sagely. “I don’t know if that man has smiled a day in his life.”</p>
  <p>“Must be why he and Zandi get along so well... if you know what I mean.”</p>
  <p>“If we all don’t get killed by whatever the hell Czerka woke up down here,” Zandi shot both of them a death glare, “mark my words, I’m going to murder you both.”</p>
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